Air Force Doctrine Document (AFDD) 2-3, Irregular Warfare, Establishes Operational-Level Doctrinal Guidance for Irregular Warfare (IW)
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IRREGULAR WARFARE Air Force Doctrine Document 2-3 1 August 2007 . BY ORDER OF THE AIR FORCE DOCTRINE DOCUMENT 2-3 SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE 1 AUGUST 2007 OPR: HQ AFDDEC/DD Certified by: HQ AFDDEC/CC (Maj Gen Allen G. Peck) Pages: 103 Accessibility: Publications are available on the e-publishing website at www.e-publishing.af.mil for downloading Releasability: There are no releasability restrictions on this publication Approved by: T. MICHAEL MOSELEY, General, USAF Chief of Staff FOREWORD Our nation is at war. Warriors must plan and orchestrate irregular warfare as joint, multinational, and multi-agency campaigns, beginning with the first efforts of strategy development and concluding with the achievement of the desired endstate. As Airmen, we have a unique warfighting perspective shaped by a century-long quest to gain and maintain the high ground. We must be able to articulate Air Force capabilities and contributions to the irregular warfare fight, with its unique attributes and requirements. Employed properly, airpower (to include air, space, and cyberspace capabilities) produces asymmetric advantages that can be effectively leveraged by joint force commanders in virtually every aspect of irregular warfare. Irregular warfare is sufficiently different from traditional conflict to warrant a separate keystone doctrine document. While the fighting experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan should weigh heavily in the development of our doctrine, we intend this doctrine document to be broad, enduring, and forward-looking, rather than focusing on any particular operation, current or past. T. MICHAEL MOSELEY General, USAF Chief of Staff TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................vi FOUNDATIONAL DOCTRINE STATEMENTS ............................................................. viii CHAPTER ONE—Understanding Irregular Warfare (IW) ............................................... 1 IW Defined .................................................................................................................. 1 IW Model ..................................................................................................................... 4 IW ‘Truths’ for Airmen.................................................................................................. 8 Counterinsurgency (COIN) ‘Truths’ for Airmen.......................................................... 10 Insurgency and Terrorism ......................................................................................... 11 Countering Insurgency and Terrorism....................................................................... 12 CHAPTER TWO—Air Force Applications in IW............................................................ 14 The Value of Air Force Capabilities in IW.................................................................. 14 Minimal Intrusiveness ............................................................................................ 15 Rapid Response .................................................................................................... 15 Rapid Mobility...................................................................................................... 16 Rapid Engagement.............................................................................................. 16 Improved Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Situational Awareness................... 16 IW Activities............................................................................................................... 18 Support to Insurgencies......................................................................................... 18 COIN and Support to COIN ................................................................................... 19 Provide Security .................................................................................................. 20 Help Alleviate Root Causes................................................................................. 21 Limit an Adversary’s Conventional Options and Flexibility .................................. 22 Disrupt Enemy Movement ................................................................................... 22 Target Insurgent Leaders and Active Supporters................................................ 23 Air and Ground Coordination............................................................................... 24 Shaping and Deterring........................................................................................... 25 Counterterrorism.................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER THREE—Air Force Capabilities In IW......................................................... 27 Building Partnership Capacity (BPC)......................................................................... 27 Assess, Train, Advise, and Assist.......................................................................... 28 Combat Aviation Advisory Mission ...................................................................... 29 BPC and COIN ...................................................................................................... 30 Intelligence ................................................................................................................ 30 Analysis and Targeting .......................................................................................... 31 All Source Intelligence......................................................................................... 32 Collection............................................................................................................... 32 Non-traditional Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance ......................... 33 Human Intelligence.............................................................................................. 33 Counterintelligence.............................................................................................. 34 Distributed Operations ........................................................................................... 34 Intelligence Collaboration .................................................................................... 35 Foreign Disclosure .............................................................................................. 35 Information Operations.............................................................................................. 36 iii Network Warfare Operations ................................................................................. 36 Electronic Warfare ................................................................................................. 37 Influence Operations.............................................................................................. 37 Psychological Operations.................................................................................... 37 Military Deception................................................................................................ 38 Counterpropaganda ............................................................................................ 38 Public Affairs ....................................................................................................... 39 Operational Security............................................................................................ 39 Air Mobility................................................................................................................. 40 Combat Deployment .............................................................................................. 40 Combat Sustainment ............................................................................................. 41 Integrating Mobility and Special Operations .......................................................... 41 Agile Combat Support (ACS) .................................................................................... 41 ACS Operations in IW............................................................................................ 42 Civil Engineering ................................................................................................. 42 Medical Evacuation / Medical Teams .................................................................. 43 Precision Engagement .............................................................................................. 44 Command and Control (C2) ...................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER FOUR—Strategy and Planning................................................................... 47 Strategy Considerations............................................................................................ 47 Strategy Differences in IW ..................................................................................... 48 Long View Versus the Quick Decisive Victory..................................................... 48 Center of Gravity ................................................................................................. 48 Focus on Stability ................................................................................................ 49 Operational Environment........................................................................................... 49 Failed States.......................................................................................................... 51 Cooperative Governments....................................................................................